Merchandise is unpacked and sorted in the receiving area at the Amazon Murfreesboro fulfillment center April 4, 2013. / John A. Gillis / File / Gannett Tennessee

Written by

Jamie McGee

The Tennessean

Amazon.com workers in the Murfreesboro facility have filed a federal lawsuit seeking pay for time spent on security screenings during unpaid breaks and at the end of shifts.

Plaintiffs Dollie Suggars, Kenya McGaughy and Sarah Dickson, who work at the Amazon facility, filed a motion Thursday asking a federal court to inform current and former Amazon workers in Murfreesboro of their right to file a claim for unpaid wages, according court documents.

The lawsuit, brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act, has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville before Judge Aleta Trauger. The plaintiffs are represented by Nashville law firm Barrett Johnston and Dresher, Penn.-based Winebrake & Santillo.

“These workers seek nothing more than what the law requires — pay for all time worked,” said David Garrison, a Barrett Johnston attorney representing the workers, in a statement. “While Amazon is a giant company, when workers act collectively together they can enforce their rights. It’s important for any Amazon worker in Murfreesboro to contact our firm immediately in order to file their claim for unpaid wages.”

The workers are paid based on time punches and are required to go through “lengthy” security screenings after punching out, and the screenings can take more than 10 to 15 minutes, or 40 minutes a week, to complete. Workers at the facility include those who work for Amazon and for staffing agency SMX LLC and are all required to complete the screenings without pay, according to the lawsuit.